Neutral
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: As if it wasn't hectic enough having exiled Decepticons and Autobots living together, meet the human child who will just turn their world upside down. OC centric.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers concept, or anything of the like. That's Hasbro and several other people I don't want to even think about.

AN: This is the prequel so to speak for D for Drive. I will finish that story, but chances are it's gonna get scrapped first and restarted. This is so those who are having troubles with that story can understand what's going on, and so I can get my own facts straight while I'm writing it. So if you liked that one, or want to better understand it, read this. Please review and give me advice/pointers/whatever. We all know I could use them.

**Chapter One**

The situation would have been funny if it hadn't been so cold.

Rae had decided that nature had a sadist's sense of humor. After all, it had been storming the day seven months ago when her mother died on the streets. It had been dark and dreary the day six months ago when Social Services finally found her and put her in foster care – not that she needed it. She had been born on the streets; therefore she was perfectly capable of living on the streets. Now it was raining, and this was the day that she finally escaped her prison.

She wondered if nature was trying to tell her something.

Social Services had told her she needed to go to school, have a family, and make friends. They seemed to think that she was below the normal citizen just because at night she was forced to make her home in a cardboard box. They never did ask her exactly what she knew. Because of how her father made his living – not that she had seen him in two years – she knew everything there was to know about computers, and as she got older some of his friends had taken to teaching her even more. Mathematics, reading, history – she probably knew more about all of it than the average student her age did. She was good.

Living on the streets had also forced her to pick up a few habits that the normal citizen probably wouldn't have even thought of. She was a natural thief, simply because she needed the food. It was easy to lie, and it was even easier to manipulate. People were so gullible sometimes.

Rae had learned a long time ago not to trust humans. It had been her father's brother who had shot her mother dead. It had been the same man who had informed Social Services where she was staying. He was the reason she was running from not only the cops, but the neglectful people who wanted to call her their daughter.

She wouldn't allow it.

With a glare at the stormy sky, she sighed. She wouldn't be in any condition to allow anything unless she found some proper shelter. Being so small for her age, she could fit just about anywhere. The hard part in this city was finding a place that wasn't already occupied. The homeless were everywhere, and she knew most of them by name.

An elderly black man pushing a shopping cart paused a moment to smile at her. "Wha' choo doing so fa' out he'e, lil' missy?" His smile revealed his missing front teeth, and probably the reason for his strange accent. "Ain't safe fo' sommun as young as you t' be in these pa'ts."

Rae nodded. "I'm trying to find a place to sleep, Uncle Pa." she explained. Everyone called the man Uncle Pa, although she really couldn't figure out why. That was how he had been introduced to her, so that was what she called him. For whatever reason.

Uncle Pa chuckled. "Try the junkya'd, lil' missy." he advised. "They always b'ingin in new ca's you can hide in."

Rae nodded her thanks and walked past him without another word. Her mother would have said she was being rude, but she had never really liked the man. There was something about him that was strange. It was probably the way he always knew when she was standing near him despite the fact that he was blind. Her mother called it a gift. Rae had learned to accept it, but it still made her nervous.

That was another thing she had been taught. It was best to accept things as they were, because you really couldn't change anything. And things were never as simple as they seemed. It was stupid to make assumptions.

She made her way across the city, trying to stay out of the rain and finally giving up once she was good and soaked. No sense in pretending she cared now. The rain was freezing, but she would live. Get sick for a while, but she would live. She always did.

/---/

It was part of Little Silver's patrol to sit in the junkyard for a few hours and keep an eye out for any other Transformers in the area, be they Autobot or Decepticon. It was an easy place to escape detection, especially considering his beat-up Ford Ranger pickup alt mode. It wasn't bad, per say, he just got into one too many fights when he was younger to even think of being dent-free.

This time it was pouring rain, but Silver didn't particularly mind. He was filthy anyways from always driving up and down that dirt trail that led to their base. It was about time he got reasonably clean.

Then again, he was going to get mud all over his tires when he finally headed back, but that was beside the point. The rain felt good.

Small footsteps caught his attention, and he went on alert. He could feel small fingers slide down the metal of the bed of his alt form, but he still couldn't quite see the individual walking there. A few more steps, and he'd be able to see them out his side mirror.

The sight made him relax. Just another of the homeless in the city. Every now and again they showed up and made use of the back, but he never bothered them. It was just too tiring to keep trying to get rid of them. Besides, they made for such a pathetic sight.

The small hands opened the door, and it was all Silver could do to keep from transforming in surprise. Now that the homeless was sitting in his cab, he could clearly see what it was. The sight was spark-wrenching.

A small child, maybe seven years old, her clothes sticking to her like a second skin even as she shivered in the drivers seat. He kept an eye on her as she reached down under the steering wheel, and suddenly he realized what she was doing.

Quietly, he started his own engine and turned the heat up. The child jerked in surprise, but smiled and adjusted the vents so they were blowing on her. "Thank you." she whispered.

He was so shocked he almost responded to that. How could she know to thank him? After all, humans didn't believe in things like this. Cars – technology in general – did not talk, or operate on their own. At all. So why was this one so accepting?

The girl sighed. "I hope it's not raining tomorrow morning." she muttered. "Bad enough being wet for the night. Sucks being wet all day long." She shifted a little, trying to get comfortable. "I'll bet you have the same problem I do. I mean, why else would you be in a junkyard? The people you used to belong to don't want you anymore. So they send you away." She laughed at that. "Boy, you're lucky. At least they don't try to keep you even when they don't want you."

Silver couldn't believe his ears, so to speak. She spoke with a wisdom and pain beyond what anyone, human or Transformer, should have at her age. He wondered for a moment what had happened to make her grow.

Whatever it was, he couldn't very well leave her here. She had his curiosity now.

Case always said his curiosity would get him into trouble one day. Now Silver could say he firmly agreed.

He waited until she was settled and his sensors showed she had gone into recharge before opening communications with his leader. _"Little Silver to Veris."_

"_Veris. What's going on, Silver?"_

"_I seem to have a problem." _ Quietly, the mech explained the situation. _"I'm not really sure what to do."_

There was a pause. _"Do whatever you see fit."_ Veris said finally. _"Just do not endanger the base."_

"_Understood."_ Silver sighed. He already knew what he was going to do. And he was fairly certain that, while Veris may not mind, the others would probably kill him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Rae woke completely when they left the pavement behind. She had been dozing off and on as soon as the car started rolling, but whoever was moving the truck didn't seem inclined to bother her, so she didn't bother them. The motion put her back to sleep, but now the bumps forced her into awareness. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing lazily at her eyes. It was then that she realized she was still in the driver's seat.

"Don't worry, youngling." a voice said over the radio. "We're almost there."

Rae's eyes went wide, but her voice was oddly calm when she spoke. "Considering that I don't even see an intercom system anywhere in here, I'm going to assume that wasn't a human voice." she said faintly. "Who are you?"

The radio chuckled. "You would assume correctly. I am a Transformer, and my designation is Little Silver. But I'd rather you just call me Silver." There was a pause. "Who are you? I can't very well keep calling you 'youngling'."

"Better than some of the other names I've been called." Rae said with a chuckle. Her voice was getting stronger as the shock of a self-propelled, talking truck wore off. "My name is Rae. What's a Transformer?"

Silver laughed at that. "You'll see when we get to the base."

Rae tensed. "A base? You mean, like a military base?"

"Something like that, but you'd be the only human there."

The girl relaxed, making Silver wonder. "You don't like humans, Rae?" he asked. "Even the homeless of the city tend to band together for comfort and support. Surely you would want some kind of human contact."

"Human contact is not military or cops." she said tersely. "I have a bad record with them. My dad's brother was a cop, and he's the reason my mom is dead. The government is the reason I was stuck with a family that doesn't care about me." She placed her hand on the dashboard. "Are you sure there won't be people like that there?"

There was a long pause. "There will be others there, but they will be my people." he said quietly. "I cannot say for sure if they will like you, but they will accept my decision to bring you with me."

This time it was Rae who hesitated. "Just out of curiosity," she began hesitantly, "if I decide I want to leave, then will you let me?"

"Yes. None of us will hold you there against your will." There was amusement in his voice when he spoke next. "But give them a chance first. We're almost there." Rae nodded and leaned back in the seat, her mind going overtime trying to figure everything out. This was new, something she had never even heard of before. Transformers? What the heck was that?

Silver opened up communications with the base. _"Little Silver to base."_

The radio crackled. _"This is Bracket."_

Silver rolled his eyes. _"Bracket, put Veris on. Or at least Sheol."_

"_But Bracket is the only one not in recharge, and Veris is on patrol."_

Rae giggled. "Bracket talks funny." she said, mirth plain in her voice. "Does he always talk like that, or is he just being silly?"

Silver groaned. "Oh, no, that's always how he always talks." he muttered. "We always threaten to send him to the junkyard in the sky if he keeps it up, but he doesn't believe us. Hence the stupid talking." He went back to the transmission. _"Pit, Bracket, why don't you wake someone up?"_

"_Does Bracket look like he's stupid? The easiest mech to wake up is Harbinger!"_

"_Never mind. Tell the others when they wake up that I'm coming in, will you? I have a passenger."_

"_Can do. Bracket out."_

Rae was confused. "Who was that?"

Silver would have smiled if he hadn't been in alt form. "You'll see."

/---/

When they came to a halt in front of the base, there was a mech there waiting for them.

Or rather, there was a pair of legs waiting for them. Rae couldn't see anything else through the windshield.

Now, no one accused Rae of being afraid. In fact, many had said that Rae didn't have enough common sense to save her life. Which might have explained why she promptly got out of the truck and looked up so she could see what the heck was standing in front of her. It looked robotic.

It was.

"Silver, Bracket said you had a passenger." the thing said. Like Silver and Bracket, its voice was definitely masculine. It stood at least fifteen feet tall, was covered in dark grey camouflage armor, and had emerald green optics. At least she assumed they were optics. They could have been real eyes, but she doubted it.

Silver laughed and suddenly changed, becoming a mech about ten feet tall with silver armor and blue optics. "Look down, Sheol." he said with no small amount of amusement. The one called Sheol looked down and jumped back in surprise.

"Primus!"

Rae was grinning broadly by now. "So that's what you meant when you said 'Transformer'." she enthused. "That's cool!"

A red and black Pontiac GTO pulled up beside Silver and instantly transformed into a massive bot about twenty feet tall with corresponding armor. His optics were as black as the night as he studied the little human standing at his feet. "I'm assuming this is your passenger, Silver."

Silver nodded. "That's right, Veris. This is Rae."

Veris sighed and turned towards the base. "Bring her inside, Silver." he instructed. "We will need to introduce her to the others." Silver nodded and calmly picked the small girl up off the ground and carried her inside. Sheol quickly fell into step beside them.

"Pit, Silver, you brought a slagging youngling with you?" he demanded. "What were you thinking?!"

"She's a homeless, Sheol." Silver protested. "What was I supposed to do, leave her there?"

Sheol rolled his optics. "Point made." He turned his gaze to Rae. "I don't believe I've properly introduced myself. I'm Sheol, the communications expert in our little ragtag group. Silver here is our spy." At this Silver executed a mock bow. Rae laughed in delight. "Veris is our somewhat-leader, so you'll have to forgive his stuck-up self. Sometimes he acts like he's got a steel rod up his aft."

"I heard that." came Veris's irritable response. "And I do not have a rod up my aft. It's called responsibility."

Sheol didn't respond, but from the look in his eyes it was only the youngling in Silver's hand that was stopping him. "Oh, look, it's the base." Silver said dryly.

Rae looked up. It was an old military bunker, but it was clearly modified. There was a moat-like trench dug around the base, and the building had been extended out and down at least fifty feet each. There was plenty of room for the massive mechs. She swallowed hard. "So, who else lives here?" she asked.

"Bracket, Greystreak, Harbinger, and Case." Sheol said simply. "You'll meet them all in a few minutes, but I'd advise being a little cautious around Harbinger. He's a bit of a psychopath."

"A bit?" Silver muttered dryly. "Megatron is the only one who tops him."

"Nah." Sheol laughed. "Harbinger just doesn't have the same ambitions as Megatron."

"I have the feeling there's going to be a lot of storytelling tonight." Rae murmured.

The two mechs grinned. "Yep."

/---/

AN: All right, chapter two! grins I'm getting more responses on this one. Oh, and one thing – I suck at car makes. So if I introduce a mech and you think you have the perfect alt form for him, don't hesitate to tell me. And if I screw up one, don't hesitate to tell me. I only know Veris, Case, Bracket, and Silver's alt forms. The others are up for grabs. Review, please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

As the week wore on, everyone on the base found it relatively easy to warm up to the small child. After that week, it seemed impossible that they had ever lived without her. She fit seamlessly into their lives, as if she had been born with them. Even when things were at their worst, the girl never seemed to get in the way.

For instance, when tension finally snapped between Greystreak and Sheol and Case had to piece the two back together.

Nether were really sure who started the fight, but the end result was horrible. Rae had seen street fights before that had gotten dirty, but at least this time there was no blood. Just a lot of missing metal and torn wires. Both were looking rather ashamed by the time Veris had managed to pull them apart.

That was one verbal lashing Rae was grateful _wasn't_ directed towards her.

"What on Cybertron were you two thinking?" the leader snarled, optics flashing between the massive fifteen foot tall Sheol and the slightly smaller, more compact Greystreak. Greystreak's silver and blue armor was dented in several areas, his golden optics dim from the blue fluid leaking from his shoulder. Veris glared at them both a little longer, waiting for an explanation. "I'm assuming from your silence that you weren't. Get in there! Case can fix you up!"

"The heck just happened?" Rae hissed, turning to the spider-like mech that was currently perched on her shoulder. Metallic shoulders shrugged in a nonchalant manner.

"Bracket does not know." the small mech replied. "Sometimes they get along well, sometimes they don't. We haven't been together very long by our measures, so tension still creeps in every now and again. They will be fine by the time Case fixes them." Rae nodded and followed the other three mechs into the base. For once she was glad Silver and the more volatile Harbinger were on patrol. No doubt the weapons specialist would have ended the fight by literally banging some heads together, and that wouldn't have been good for Greystreak's injuries. She wasn't an expert by any means, but something told her it would be good to pay attention for now on. Maybe she could find a way to make herself useful.

After all, it wasn't like she had ever had the opportunity to look after someone else.

Case glared at the two mechs as they staggered into the base and plopped down on either side of him. Case was a mech of normally infinite patience, standing at a little under seventeen feet tall with whitish armor and silver optics. Judging from the lack of surprise on his metallic face, Rae figured this fight was nothing but expected. To her surprise, he didn't bother arguing with them, or trying to figure out what had happened. He simply set about pulling out his tools and finding the ones he would need.

Rae approached him warily. "Can I help?" she asked quietly.

He gave her a sharp look, but she had a feeling he was merely sizing her up. After all, he had been one of the first – besides Silver – to truly take to her. Finally, he nodded. "If you could clean Sheol's wounds for me, I would greatly appreciate it." he said. "I need to fix this leak before Greystreak goes completely off-line." Rae nodded and took the tool she was handed. She almost smiled at the small scrub brush.

Sheol simply rolled his optics. "You would think after all the fights we've been in Greystreak would be just a bit more cautious of his shoulder." he muttered, reaching down with his uninjured arm to pick Rae and Bracket up to his injuries. "After all, how many times have I wrecked it now?"

"Mute it, glitch-head." Greystreak murmured faintly.

"Make me, slagger." Sheol shot back, ignoring the small human working at his armor and focusing all his attention on his semi-friend. "You try to start something with me again and I'll pump your aft full of plasma!"

This time Greystreak glared at him, his optics getting brighter as Case sealed the leak in his shoulder. "I start something?" he demanded. "You were the one who started it!"

"What was this all about anyways?" Rae asked, the question slipping out before she had the chance to stop herself. Bracket calmly pointed out another place for her to clean, and she continued with her work as she waited for her answer.

There was silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, both mechs started cackling. "What did I say that fragged you off that bad?" Greystreak questioned.

Sheol shrugged. "No clue." he admitted.

"Hold still!" Rae admonished. "Hard enough trying to clean dirt out of scratched metal without you moving around so slagging much." She continued to mutter under her breath even as the other four mechs stared at her with a mix of surprise and respect.

"Little Rae picks up quickly." Bracket commented, using the nickname he had developed for her three seconds after meeting her. Aforementioned human simply rolled her eyes and patted Sheol's arm.

"All done." she said, ignoring the mechs for the moment. "Now what?"

Case grinned. "That's all for now." he assured her. "Stick around though. You could use a crash course in Transformer physiology in case I ever need you for something more important."

/---/

Silver and Harbinger were surprised to come in to the base to see a tense Veris having a very intense conversation with the rest of the mechs. Rae was in recharge, curled up rather comfortably next to Veris's mat with Bracket sitting in front of her. The conversation was hushed for the sleeping human's sake, but no less intense from the lack of volume.

"Did we miss anything?" Harbinger asked, a look of caution in his optics. He stood a little shorter than Case, jet black armor contrasting sharply with his white optics. Veris motioned them over, a dark look on his face.

"We had a little blowout earlier today." he said, casting a sharp look at Sheol and Greystreak. Silver and Harbinger made noises of understanding. "What these two glitch-heads don't seem to understand is the magnitude of what they could have done."

Silver tensed. "Where was Rae when this happened?"

"Under their care, no doubt." Harbinger growled, a hint of distain in his voice. "After all, those two just have to have arguments at the most inopportune times. So, what was it this time?"

"That's not important." Veris said. "What is important is that we make sure this doesn't happen again. I want to keep the youngling safe, even if that means putting your petty little fights aside. The rest of us have managed to get over our former differences; why can't you?"

The two merely shrugged. "No idea, Veris." Greystreak admitted. "If we could remember what our arguments are about, we could probably find a way to avoid them."

"I'll give you a reason to avoid them." Harbinger snapped. "If _anything_ happens to that youngling while she's under your care, you'll have me to deal with. If you have to deal with me, you'll _wish_ I'd left you to Megatron. Got me?"

There was a long pause. There was almost nothing more to be said. Every mech in the room besides Case had once been part of either side of the war. All knew full well the fury of Megatron, and all knew that if Harbinger made _that_ promise, then he meant it. Greystreak and Sheol nodded.

Harbinger snorted and gently scooped Rae into his palm, settling back on his mat while cradling her to his chest. Back when he was still with his leader, his team, he had been the one to take care of all the younglings. Silver had also done the same when he had been with his team. Maybe that was why the two of them were so much more protective of the girl than the others.

"A bit passionate, aren't we, Harbinger?" Case said dryly. "A simple 'Hurt her and I'll kill you' would have done rather nicely."

Harbinger shook his head. "You were never a part of the Decepticons or the Autobots, Case." he said softly. "You wouldn't understand how precious younglings are to both sides. They are hope, no matter what you hope for. For this one, maybe we can raise her to not see Autobot or Decepticon."

"That could very well get her killed." Bracket observed.

"I don't think that's what Harbinger meant." Silver said, a note of understanding in his voice. "We will teach her to be careful, but we will not tell her who is right and who is wrong. That will be for her to decide."

Veris nodded. "She is a precious thing." he murmured. "She is our redemption. For all of us."

There was another moment of silence, this one not nearly as tense as the previous. Finally, Case snorted. "Go into recharge, all of you." he said. "Tomorrow we've got a few things we need to teach our new youngling if she's going to call herself a Transformer."

/---/

AN: I hope I'm not jumping too far ahead, but this is where the important stuff begins. Nothing happened in that week that you really need to know. Review, please!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Veris kept a sharp eye out for the youngling as he allowed her to roam around the woods. When they had claimed the military bunker as their base, they had also claimed the woods around it as their territory, so to speak. She would do well to learn the terrain and how to make her away around should she ever get separated from them. She would need to learn the way back to the base from any position in the woods, and –

"Veris! Look what I found!"

He looked down to see the young girl holding something cupped in her small hands. Her eyes were sparkling with delight, and the old mech couldn't help but indulge her as she delicately handed him her discovery – a small roly poly. He smiled as he handed it back to her. "You don't see much of this, do you?" he asked softly.

She shook her head. "Nope. I lived all my life in the city. Things like this don't live there. Just humans and some stray pets. What is it?"

He chuckled. "It's an insect." he said calmly. "I believe they call it a roly poly, though I don't know why." Rae poked the thing, and laughed in delight as it curled up into a small, impenetrable ball. Veris had to smile. There was no way anyone could deny the joy washing from the girl in waves. She was so much more content now than she had been when Silver brought her in, and from what he had gathered from her garbled stories, anytime in her life.

With Rae distracted, Veris took the opportunity to study the girl. She was so small, far too small for her age, but she seemed to be in almost perfect health. Her dark black hair was long and straight, her grey eyes sparkling every time she sighted a new discovery or found one of the Transformers to share said discovery with. Her clothes were torn and filthy, but then again, that's why he'd had Bracket sneak into town. The former Decepticon was the only one who could create a human hologram, so he could get her some fresh coverings.

The girl's soft voice broke through his musings. "Veris, what are Autobots and Decepticons?"

He winced. "Where did you hear that?" he asked.

She shrugged. "The others have mentioned it from time to time. I heard Case call Harbinger a 'slagging psycho Decepticon' one time, and he said that it was better than being a 'glitching Autobot'. I know they were joking around, but still. What are they?"

Rae was looking up at him now, sitting beside her massive guardian, completely content to be with him now. Veris hesitated to give her the information she wanted. If he told her of their war, would she still feel as safe around them as she did now? Somehow, he doubted it would affect her much – after all, she was too young to fully appreciate the horrors their people had done. Then again, she also understood a lot more than your average human child. He sighed.

"Autobots and Decepticons are Transformers, just different factions." he explained hesitantly. "I was once an Autobot, just like Harbinger was once a Decepticon. You've heard us mention Megatron a few times. Well, Megatron is the Decepticon leader. Optimus Prime leads the Autobots."

She nodded understandingly. "Are they political factions?"

"Originally. Now they are military factions." Veris shrugged. "That's what happens when there are too many people who want to fight for their beliefs instead of talking them out. Wars tend to get started."

Rae nodded again. "Like here." she commented. "My dad told me that wars start because political factions can't seem to agree on anything." Veris nodded.

"It's true. For each of us, we used to be Autobot or Decepticon, except for Case. For each, we were exiled for whatever reason. You'll have to ask the others if you want their stories. It's not my tale to tell." He cast her a look. "Our war is what drove us here. We will not allow it to come to our front door again. You are safe here, with us."

Rae smiled. "I know that." she teased. "If I wasn't, you would have hurt me already." She turned and leaned against his arm. "If I can ask, why were you exiled? You seem nice enough to me."

Veris smiled again at that, but it was a dark smile. "Optimus Prime and Megatron are brothers." he explained. "I used to be Prime's second in command, until I stopped him from killing Megatron. Prime didn't take too kindly to that. He said it was a betrayal of the Autobots. Hence why I'm here." With a sigh, he gently plucked the girl from the ground and cradled her to his chestplates. "You ask far too many questions." he chided gently.

Rae giggled. "I can't help it. You guys are cool." She leaned into his grip with a contented sigh. "Besides, I understand betrayal. My dad shouldn't have been a street rat, but he didn't have enough money to get all of us – me and mom and him – off the streets. His brother took care of that by keeping him away from us for years and then he shot her. I was stuck in foster care so Dad couldn't find me. He betrayed us all."

Veris hesitated a moment. "If you would like, we could find your father." he said hesitantly. Rae shook her head.

"Dad thinks we're dead." she said harshly. "Let him think it. Besides, I don't want to leave. This place – even when Dad was with us, I could tell he didn't want us. The only person who truly cared was Mom, and she's gone now. Without you guys, I'd be on my own." She buried her face in his shoulder, fighting against the tears. For so long she had been taught not to cry, not to let any of her emotions show, but now – now, maybe, she could finally cut loose and not worry about betrayal. "I don't want to leave."

Veris calmly traced a massive finger down her back, calming her in his own way. "Don't' worry, Rae." he whispered. "You are our youngling now. Nothing can ever take you away from us."

/---/

Later that night, Silver and Veris found a quiet corner to talk in while the others rested in recharge, Rae in her customary spot on top of one of the mechs – this time it was Case. Veris bit back a chuckle at the sight. "That one has grown on us all." he said softly.

Silver nodded. "She has." he admitted. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"I want you to answer any questions she has about the Autobots." Veris instructed. "Primus knows you are not as close to them as I am. You can give her a better view of them than I ever could." Silver nodded.

"I take it she has started asking questions then." he commented. "So who's gonna tell her about Decepticons?"

"Bracket, most likely."

"All right. Is that all?"

Veris shook his head. "Keep an eye on her tomorrow." he said. "I've started taking her around the woods, but she'll need a guide for quite some time before she's used to the place. If you can, find a way to teach her how to evade and track. Primus knows she may need those skills quicker than we may think."

Silver nodded. "Understood. And don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Silver was beginning to suspect that today would be one of those days where it just didn't pay to come out of recharge. Greystreak and Sheol had almost gotten into another fight before Silver even came around, but luckily Case and Bracket were able to put a stop to it before Harbinger came out of recharge. The Decepticon weapons specialist probably would have just blasted them to scrap metal if he caught them fighting around the youngling again.

Then again, a slagging war could have started and it wouldn't have woken the two of them up. Three days since Silver had begun her 'training', in the form of an advanced game of chase, had tired her out about as much as he expected it to. He really anticipated her collapsing long before now, but Rae proved she was capable of keeping up with the Transformers. Of course, when she finally did collapse Harbinger threatened to shred Silver's aft to scrap metal if he tried that stunt again. Of all of them, Harbinger was becoming increasingly protective of the girl.

Not that he could blame the mech. Silver was probably the only one who knew of Harbinger's charge back when he was with the Decepticons, and what had happened to the young mech. Harbinger would die before he allowed that to happen again.

Silver cast the pair an amused glance. Harbinger was lying on his makeshift bed, Rae held protectively to his chest. The child was so small compared to him that his hand made a complete blanket for her. They _definitely_ weren't coming around anytime soon. Silver turned his focus to Greystreak.

"The pit were you thinking?" he demanded.

"I wasn't." Greystreak glowered. "That slagging glitch over there wouldn't let me." Sheol shot him a filthy look, but Case slapped them both upside the heads before another bickering fight could break out.

"Then you can explain to Veris when he gets back why you two are in the brig." he snapped. The 'brig' for the Transformers was in actuality two small cages – small being about twenty feet high and five feet square – on each side of the room. They were made from steel and specially crafted by Case and Harbinger after the first fight broke out between Veris and Sheol. It was a sufficient threat most times to keep the volatile Decepticon communications specialist out of trouble, but when it came to Greystreak – Autobot and Decepticon were all they saw.

It was no wonder they were working so hard to keep Rae from seeing the same.

Both mechs looked over at Harbinger, who looked like he was finally coming around. "Speaking of Veris," Greystreak began hesitantly, "just where has he been all morning? Things run so much smoother when he's here."

"Don't even try blaming your deficiencies on my leadership." came the growling response. Veris entered the base with a small sack held in one hand and a murderous expression on his faceplates. "But don't lock them up just yet, Case. We have incoming."

Everyone tensed, and now Harbinger was fully awake. "Incoming?" Bracket asked cautiously. "Autobot, Decepticon, or both?"

"Starscream." Veris announced grimly. "From what I can gather, he doesn't know about us just yet, but better safe than sorry. Sheol, I want you to man the radio. Lock on to his frequency and feed us anything he transmits back to his base. Greystreak, you are going to help him. Rewire anything you can of the computers to get him to that frequency. As for the rest of us, we're going on patrol. Bracket, Harbinger, and Case are coming with me. I'll give you your instructions when we get out. Greystreak, Sheol – Rae is in your care now."

They watched intensely as Veris set the small package down next to Harbinger's recharge berth. Harbinger wasn't focused on the package though – his optics were glaring at the two glitch-heads who couldn't stay out of a fight to save their lives. "Perhaps it would be best if I were to stay here with Rae as well." he rumbled, sitting up and gently setting the sleeping girl on the berth where he had just been. Rae curled up into the warmth.

Veris shook his head. "As much as I would like to let you, I need you out on the field." he said reluctantly. "Nothing will happen to Rae while we are gone. Isn't that right?" He glared at the other two mechs, who nodded fervently while Harbinger seemed to size them up. Bracket merely chuckled.

"Now that we have instilled the fear of Primus into them," he joked, "let's get going before Rae wakes up. No doubt she will insist on coming with us, and Bracket does not look forward to that argument."

The others nodded and left quickly and quietly, resuming their alt modes as soon as they were free from the base. Greystreak turned to Sheol, a grim look on his face.

"Well, here's our chance to prove ourselves." he said. Sheol simply rolled his optics.

"You wouldn't have to keep proving yourselves if you could just keep your tempers under control." Rae commented dryly, rolling off the bed. "So, who's this Starscream everyone seems so upset about?"

"Just how long were you awake?" Sheol demanded. "Never mind. Starscream is a Decepticon, so it's not really him we're worried about – it's his leader. If Megatron finds us, we're as good as scrap metal."

"It's nothing personal, really." Greystreak commented. "We'd be just as tense if it was one of the Autobots flying overhead. Thing is, we're pretty much enemies to both sides. So one side finds us, they think we're an easy target, they may just decide to take precautions and turn us into slag. Starscream, however – well, he's in a complete league of his own."

"Starscream is only a bit saner than Harbinger." Sheol clarified. "And only a bit. Frankly, I'm surprised Megatron keeps him around."

Rae chuckled. "Well, since we all get along with Harbinger, then we should get along with Starscream, right?" she asked, only a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Show me what you're doing. Maybe I can help."

Greystreak motioned for her to come to him, and she knelt down at his head by the computer banks as he pointed to where a mass of wires hung from the electronics. Carefully, he gave her instructions. Rae nodded and crawled under, stripping wires and reconnecting them in such a way that the computers began to pick up radio signals and a few others. Suddenly, she paused. "Did you hear that?"

"Keep it there, Rae." Sheol instructed. "I think we have him."

There was a crackling of static, and then a voice came over the speakers. Sheol and Greystreak's eyes widened in shock as they recognized that voice, but it was clearly not Starscream.

"_Give me a report, Seeker."_

/---/

Needless to say, Veris was not happy when a confused Rae called him over their makeshift radio without Sheol and Greystreak with her. _"Rae, just what the slag were they thinking?" _he demanded, not even bothering to mask his anger. If those two couldn't keep from fighting for one nanosecond –

"_It wasn't their fault, Veris."_ Rae reported back. _"They told me to tell you that Soundwave was in the area, as well as Starscream."_

That made the leader freeze. _"Understood. Rae, stay there. Don't leave the base under any circumstances. Understand?"_

"_Got it." _she replied. _"Rae out."_

Veris quickly contacted the others. _"We're heading back to the base. No doubt that Greystreak and Sheol have gone to distract Soundwave. We cannot leave Rae alone!"_

/---/

AN: Yeah, I was going to put all this into one chapter, but nah. It's too big. Review, please, and the action will continue from here on out!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Soundwave was among the most dangerous of the Decepticons that were on Earth at the time. He listened to no one except Megatron, and the Decepticon lord had long ago realized that. As a result, Soundwave knew most of the secrets Megatron had, including the one that had him in a forest with Starscream hunting down a near-mythical base. The mere idea of Autobots and Decepticons working together was ludicrous, even if they were all exiles.

If this was simply grunt work to keep him and Starscream out of the base for a while, Soundwave would be _so_ fragged off.

A missile streaked past the jet's left wing, completely drawing Soundwave from his musings. Another soon followed, this one nearly taking said wing off. With an irritated growl, he streaked into the woods and transformed just before hitting the ground. A Pontiac GTO sat in front of him, quickly morphing to reveal the exiled Autobot Veris. Soundwave smirked. "Well, it seems Megatron was right after all." he commented. "Now, let's see what you know."

Soundwave unleashed his processor scanner, attempting to take in every memory Veris had stored away. He came up with nothing. Veris didn't even flinch at the unexpected intrusion like most mechs did. Some even came away screaming in pain.

There was a reason Soundwave didn't like Veris. This was it.

Veris simply held up his left arm, giving Soundwave a good view as it changed into a massive rocket launcher. "Do you really want me to test this on you?" he asked quietly. "It's a new addition I picked up before I fled Cybertron. _Very_ cutting edge, last I heard. Then again, that was some time ago. It might be rusty now."

Soundwave would have called anyone else a glitching fool if they had revealed the same weakness Veris had. Then again, Veris also had an unnerving habit of losing all emotional infliction in his voice when he was exceptionally angry. Whenever he got that way, no mech in their right mind cared about what weaknesses he had revealed. They wouldn't get the chance to use it against him anyway.

The Decepticon sneered. "Rusty my aft." he shot back. "You of all mechs should know why I'm here."

"I wouldn't presume to know your intentions." Veris said calmly. "Then again, the glorious Soundwave has always been beyond a mere Autobot's comprehension." There was just a hint of sarcasm in that last bit there, and it was all Soundwave could do to keep from attacking him on the spot. It really wouldn't pay to play right into his hands.

"If you don't know, then I won't tell you." Soundwave hissed. "But you better keep a close eye on your human, Veris. You may just lose her."

Quicker than Soundwave had thought possible, Veris launched himself at the Decepticon and pinned him to the ground. Their faces were mere inches apart, Veris positively radiating anger and hate. His optics burned into Soundwave's, his voice like ice when he finally spoke.

"_Touch Rae and I will tear your spark out!"_

/---/

Now, Rae had been forced to go outside the base a little ways before being able to use the radio to contact Veris. Apparently whatever frequency the Autobot used didn't go through thick concrete walls. So when Veris told her not to leave the base, she figured it would be a good idea to get back inside. Veris wouldn't be able to contact her, but she knew Silver most likely could. Rae turned to go back in.

"Stay still, human!"

She turned around, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I'll have you know my name is Rae." she snapped at the towering mech. "Not 'human'. Who're you?"

Said mech almost fell over in shock. He knelt down so he was on her level, looking her dead in the eyes. "You do not fear me?" he asked quietly. "I'm a Decepticon, after all."

Rae shrugged. "Should I be?" she said dryly. Now that she looked, this particular mech was rather familiar. He greatly resembled a black-armored Harbinger, to be perfectly honest. "Are you related to Harbinger?" she asked, her head cocked to one side in a curious manner. The mech choked, not sure if he should laugh or slap the girl silly. He settled for answering her questions.

"My name is Starscream." he said. "And no, I'm not related to Harbinger. Slagging glad, too." He leaned back a little, studying the girl. Now that he actually met the human he was supposed to capture, he was more than a little confused. She should have been running screaming in terror, not adamantly pointing out that she had a name, thank you very much, and what was his? In fact, if he had to put a label on it, he'd say she was simply too young to truly understand what he was. It made her fearless.

Rae was laughing now. "I don't know. From what Greystreak and Sheol said, you two would get along very well."

Starscream snorted. "Not likely. We got into a fight back when he was still with the Decepticon army. I got the short end of the stick, so to speak."

"He flattened you." Rae giggled.

"More than that, youngling."

"_Rae!"_

Harbinger skidded to a halt, the massive monster truck quickly morphing back into the giant mech that he was. In one fluid motion, he had scooped up Rae in one hand and transformed the other into a massive plasma cannon. He aimed the weapon at Starscream while Rae pushed into the crook of her guardian's arm, worry and fear plain on her face. "Harbinger?"

"It's all right, Rae." the mech responded, keeping his weapon trained on Starscream. "I'll take care of this."

"There's no need for violence, you psychopathic piece of scrap metal." Starscream hissed. "I'm not going to tell anyone about the base."

"It's not the base I'm concerned about, Starscream." Harbinger said dryly. "That we can replace. Younglings aren't so easy."

Starscream almost laughed. "Don't worry about that." he assured the smaller mech. "I won't tell anyone about your human either. If Megatron fails in his attempts, the Decepticons may be more inclined to accept me as their leader instead of him."

"You'll allow your own ambitions to trump those of your people." Harbinger commented. "For once, I find myself thankful for that." He slowly lowered his weapon, the cannon transforming back into an arm. He gently stroked Rae's hair, calming the girl considerably. Now that her guardian wasn't quite so tense, she felt she could relax as well.

Starscream noticed this with some surprise. _So Soundwave was right. She really does act like a Transformer youngling._ He nodded to them and transformed back into a jet. He streaked away into the sky, but not so fast that he couldn't hear Rae's departing words.

"Good-bye, Starscream!"

She really was a curious creature. He couldn't rightfully call her a human.

Not after that little encounter, anyway.

/---/

AN: Alright, this is winding down. Only a few more chapters left to go, then I restart Drive. I actually know where I'm going with this now. As always, review please!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The atmosphere was tense that night. Veris was reluctant to let Rae leave the base, but she needed the fresh air. Harbinger had kept her inside until the others had returned from their various missions. Now he kept an eye on the girl as she ran back and forth through the woods, trying to outwit Bracket, who was chasing her. She was doing pretty good too. The girl recognized that she wasn't as fast as the Decepticon or as strong, so she used her agility to keep a safe distance between them. Sooner or later she would run out of energy, and then one of the larger mechs would have to carry the girl back inside the base.

It didn't bother them. She was their youngling, after all.

"Do you know what Starscream will do?" Veris asked quietly. Harbinger shrugged.

"Knowing him, any number of things." he said bluntly. "He'll use the information as it best suits him. But if he says he'll hold it back to make Megatron fail, then that's exactly what he'll do."

Silver chuckled. "Primus bless his psychopathic little spark."

Greystreak nodded. "If his pride will keep Rae out of trouble, I say let's kick back with the energon and see what happens." he said darkly. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"None of us do." Sheol added emphatically. Harbinger snorted in amusement.

"So you two glitch-heads finally decide to agree on something." he said sarcastically. "Tell me, how long will this last before you both start bickering again and we have to piece you back together?"

"Leave them alone." Case murmured, his optics trained on the child. "We need to figure out what the Decepticons want with Rae, not on what Starscream will do. He is not our primary concern. That should be Soundwave." Veris nodded agreement.

"For now, we'll have to resign ourselves to not knowing." he murmured. "But I do want Greystreak to monitor Decepticon communications. See if you can find anything pertaining to Rae or that just flat-out sounds suspicious. If they come anywhere near our base, I want to know about it immediately. We'll drive them off if we have to."

"We'll send them back to the crypt where they belong." Greystreak muttered. "You've got it, Veris."

They fell silent for a while, content to watch their youngling play her game with Bracket. Suddenly, she tripped over a root and skidded across the ground a ways. She was instantly back on her feet, muttering something in a language familiar to the mechs that she shouldn't have known.

Sheol looked rather smug. "Did I mention Silver and I have been teaching her Cybertronian?" he said offhandedly. Veris smiled.

"That will come in handy, no doubt." he said, reverting back to his native tongue. "After all, no one will expect her to know it. If she ever finds herself in a bind, she'll be able to gather information they wouldn't expect her to know."

Silver shrugged. "We just thought it was fun." he commented. "She already has a fairly decent grasp on the language. It won't be long before she can speak it as fluently as the rest of us."

"That's good." Harbinger murmured. He watched intently as Rae ran another few feet, yawned, and plopped down on her bottom. Her eyes were slowly drifting closed, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he stood up to retrieve the youngling. She curled up gratefully in the crook of his arm and was almost instantly asleep. Bracket chuckled as he hopped onto Harbinger's shoulder.

"Little Rae must've been more tired than she said." he observed. Harbinger laughed.

"She rarely ever says when she is." he pointed out. Bracket nodded.

"True, but Bracket figured she had at least another half-hour in her."

That got a laugh from everybody.

/---/

Back at the Decepticon base, Starscream and Soundwave met with a few other mechs – Barricade, Bonecrusher, and Skywarp. Soundwave was the temporary leader, so everyone had to listen to him. For now. Starscream, for one, more than looked forward to the day when he could kill both Soundwave and Megatron. Then he would become the undisputed ruler of the Decepticons.

Soundwave turned to Starscream. "You said you never found the base."

"That's right."

A smirk. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant." Starscream pointed out dryly. "After all, only Megatron can authorize you to use your powers against another Decepticon. Anything you did on your own would exile you."

The smirk faded. "You are a worthless heap of scrap metal." Soundwave said quietly. "I know that girl is there. Veris said as much to me. It seems they are very protective of their adopted youngling."

Barricade shrugged. "Aren't we all?" he said.

Bonecrusher nodded agreement. "We can't really expect anything else. If we're going to get the girl now, we're going to need one heck of a backup."

Skywarp glared at the other two. "But we're not going after the girl now. Are we, Soundwave?" he asked pointedly.

Soundwave shook his head. "No. We're going to wait until Megatron arrives. The few Autobots that are here don't even know about the base, much less the significance of the girl raised on that base. We can wait the eight years it will take our leader to arrive. It will give Veris time to complete his little project. It will be harder to destroy the girl then."

"So we wait." Starscream said.

"Exactly. We wait, but when the time comes, that girl will be ours!"

**The End**

AN: Wow. This story wasn't as long as I thought it would be. Then again, Drive is going to be that much longer. Probably around twenty chapters, but it could be even longer than that. As always, review, and until next time, I remain yours truly,

Shadowblade-tara.


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